Baltimore | Tuesday Night

[knife_bender]

Since everyone's powers had been restored (not that Diego lost his), it seemed that a trip to Baltimore was called for to make sure everything was in working order. It also had the added benefit of seeing Annie in her Starlight outfit which was something Diego was never going to complain about. They didn't even have to stick to the shadows since the city seemed to have collectively agreed that this whole week was Halloween and they were actually some of the more normal looking people around.

"There's an awful lot of drunk people around for a Tuesday night." It was the Halloween spirit, Diego!

[For the aforementioned shiny superhero]

Comments

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Woke up normal yesterday," she assured him with a smile, flashing her eyes for a second to prove it. "Apparently stuff happens over a weekend here a lot and then just...goes away on Monday? I'm still jealous you got to keep yours."

Seriously. So unfair.

[knife_bender]

"Guess the island likes me," he joked with a shrug. "Not that I blame it, I am pretty awesome."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Humble, too," Starlight replied with a little snort, gently giving him a little nudge with her shoulder. "Did you get a talking animal like a month ago? That was also a weekend thing."

[knife_bender]

"I got a cat," he said. "Was kind of a jerk, actually."

Shocking, Diego. Absolutely shocking the physical manifestation of your soul would be a jerk.

[defenderofdesmoines]

Yeah, Joan had told Annie enough about what the hell a daemon was that Diego was getting an amused little eyebrow raise from her, now. "I think cats are generally kind of assholes," she offered, even if that was probably not the whole case. "I had a giant dog who wouldn't shut up about my powers and my weird junk food habits."

Shooting whipped cream right into your mouth was a great thing to do, though. No shame.

[knife_bender]

"What qualifies as a weird junk food habit?" he asked.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Shooting whipped cream straight into your mouth," Starlight told him, not quite as shamelessly as advertised. "Seriously, this dog was terrible and told everyone, like, half of my best secrets."

But not all of them, thankfully.

[knife_bender]

"That's not so weird," he said. "It's way less weird than liking candy corn."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"It's not my fault you have bad taste," Starlight replied. She reached out to snag him by the bicep (hello there), nodding to a side street. "Maybe this way'll be more action-packed?"

And if she was maybe tracing her hand down his arm to ensnare his fingers with hers, well, she was just trying to make sure he came with. It also wasn't her fault if a quiet patrol felt like an accidental date, either.

[knife_bender]

Diego smiled, taking her hand. It did sort of feel like an accidental date, but he wasn't complaining. "Are you trying to lure me into a dark alley?"

Well. It was working.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I just don't want to get my boots puked on by some drunk rando," Starlight told him, which was at least partly true if not the entire reason. She was still holding his hand, after all.

"Quiet night, 'side from the drunk people. We should've brought a police scanner or something."

Not that she minded the quiet, especially.

[knife_bender]

Oh man if they walked a couple blocks that would have time to wave at Danny just before he was kidnapped.

"We'll have to bring one next time," he said. "I don't mind this though. The company is good at least."

[defenderofdesmoines]

Yeah, it was a totally quiet night as long as they stayed clear of those damn docks.

"Way better than patrolling alone. I mean, I don't miss being on a team, but...a duo is nice," Starlight confirmed, glancing over at him (and maybe smiling a little at 'next time.') "I'm gonna be nosy, so feel free to tell me to get lost, but what was your old superhero name, anyway?"

[knife_bender]

"It was The Kraken on all the merchandise and in the articles about us," Diego said. "Dad called me Number Two. Still does, actually. Or he would if I spoke to him."

He might have sounded a tad bitter about that.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"That's pretty sweet," Starlight said, a touch admiringly. "The Kraken, anyway. Like you're something to be unleashed."

And, you know, when one was holding someone's hand and they seemed bitter about something, one was inclined to squeeze said hand. "I take it you're not Number Two like...hey, it's my right-hand man, Number Two."

[knife_bender]

"It was more like a 'I ranked my children by usefulness and you're Number Two' sort of thing." He stopped where he was but didn't let go of Starlight's hand. "Do you think my dad has a chance at making the bad parent hall of fame?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

Starlight was honestly kind of speechless for a moment, trying to wrap her head around the idea of ranking children.

"I think he has a lock on it," she said quietly, shaking her head. "I'm so sorry, Diego. Your dad puts all other bad parents to shame, I swear."

Like he was competing for gold in the Bad Parent Olympics or something, seriously.

[knife_bender]

Oh and we have only scratched the surface!

"Yeah, well, I turned out okay." Just in need of a little bit of therapy. "Haven't managed to scare you off yet."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"It'll take more than some dad issues," Starlight told him softly, giving his hand another little squeeze. And maybe she was a little grateful it was dark, since she could feel herself blushing. "I'm surprised I haven't scared you off, honestly."

What with beating the shit out of him, and all. Kind of unintentionally broke her cardinal rule regarding guys, there.

[knife_bender]

"I don't know what the opposite of scaring off is, but whatever it is that's what I have regarding you." Affection? Attraction? Some word like that was probably appropriate.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Even though I had you pinned to a wall like two weeks ago, and I could probably bench-press you, and all that?" she checked, glancing over. "That doesn't bother you?"

It usually bothered guys. The Sean Jakowski incident had not really been all that long ago.

[knife_bender]

"I mean, you can pin me to the wall again and we'll see what happens?" he said lightly.

[defenderofdesmoines]

Okay, now she really was blushing, but that at least got a laugh out of her.

Not because she wasn't considering it, exactly.

"Hmm, I don't know. That sounds like a trap," she decided, equally lightly.

[knife_bender]

"Well it's been established that you could probably bench-press me," Diego said. "I'm pretty sure you could get out of any trap I set for you."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"That doesn't mean it's smart to ignore that it's a trap," Starlight decided, raising a brow at him. "Also, don't sell yourself short, I bet you're great at setting traps."

See also: how she was kind of thinking about how fun it would be to pin him now that she wasn't trying to arrest him or whatever, in spite of protests to the contrary.